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Friday, May 28, 2010

Summertime Crossroads

After 7 months away, I spent the morning as a substitute IEP instructor once again. I would like to transfer my confidence and enthusiasm for teaching into a drive to get my house in order, which is my real day job. For some reason, though, performing before an audience motivates me, while working on daily tasks at home does not. How can I increase my motivation at home? Any ideas?

Meanwhile, my daughters are finishing up with school, and starting next week we will have to decide how to arrange each day together. I am looking forward to these weeks, hoping to do activities that will help them develop spiritually, morally, and creatively. Yes, it is a daunting challenge, which is why I was thankful to discover a daily calendar resource in the latest issue of Thriving Family magazine. These summer months are such an important time to work on shaping their character, and I need to take all the help I can find to get on track and stay focused on what's important.

So the start of summer seems to be another crossroads for me. Will I use my time with my three children wisely and intentionally, making the most of every opportunity? Or will I drift and allow distractions to divert our attention from what we need most--obedience and a closer connection to God.

3 comments:

I, too, need a plan to keep me on track with my kids. I work from home about 10 hours a week and when I do not have school to help me carve out time for that, I end up putting too much focus on getting my hours in and not on my children.

My plan (perhaps a bit anal) is to write different activities on index cards so that they can choose and direct the day (within reason). I also hope that it will keep arguments down about watching TV (once the cards have been used, that activity will be done for the day).

I also thought about having a daily devotional outside in the morning. It's hot in Texas and unless you are at the pool, you don't want to be outside after 9am. So, I thought before breakfast, I'd break out a blanket, take them to the garden and have a girls' devotional.

I know what you mean about performing for an audience. Kids don't really give you performance reviews, and no one applauds you for cleaning the oven or pulling the weeds in the back corner of the yard, so it's hard to do these tasks over and over again. My main motivation is the future...knowing that what I do now will impact my children in the future. I look forward to seeing my kids grow up and have kids (hopefully), and telling me (hopefully) that they appreciate what I have done for them. Maybe that's silly, I don't know. I'd like to think that they will thank me one day by creating their own home that is a "sanctuary".